Andy Serkis to Direct Performance-Capture Adaptation of Animal Farm

After building a career by mastering the art of performance-capture, Andy Serkis is looking to take his acting experience from such films as The Lord of the Rings and King Kong and apply them behind the camera. After serving as second-unit director on the upcoming Hobbit film, Serkis has already begun plotting his directorial debut, eyeing an adaptation of George Orwell’s iconic allegorical novel Animal Farm, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The film will be produced by Serkis’ own London-based performance capture studio, The Imaginarium. “I think we found a rather fresh way of looking at it,” said Serkis in an interview with THR.

In addition to leading the project, Serkis is expected to perform in the film. But for the time being, the actor-turned-director is focused solely developing the project from a directorial standpoint.

After wrapping on The Hobbit, Serkis is exploring some of the tools that film utilized during the shooting process. These techniques included 3D and high-frame-rate photography and projection, which, according to Serkis, beautifully handle the “integration live action and CG elements.”

The Imaginarium hopes to continue to push the boundaries of performance-capture technology with their films in the years to come.